Hey, Sports Fans

Like most other kids growing up in Ohio in the early 90s, my sister and I were avid Cleveland Indian’s baseball fans. It was an exciting time for The Tribe. Jacob’s Field had just opened, and there were sell-out crowds every night. It was electric. I can still recite the roster. We watched our team battle their way through World Series runs on TV and, when lucky enough, as part of the magic from awesome third base line seats at The Jake. We bought t-shirts and caps, and went to the mall to have baseballs signed by select players. We even caught a foul ball one faithful night. Magic.

So, imagine my childhood delight last Saturday night when I had the chance to meet one of the Greats up close and personal. Mike, Eloise, and I were having an early dinner with my parents at Homeslice. We had just ordered when Dad leaned across the booth and whispered, “Don’t look now…but Jim Thome is sitting right behind you.” WHHHHHHAAAAAAAAT? Mike and I tried to play it cool, but I couldn’t resist trying to catch a glimpse of him in the shiny chrome of the lamp hanging above the table. Sure enough, there he was, enjoying some of my favorite pizza with his son. We didn’t want to interrupt his family time…but we also couldn’t resist saying hi to one of our all-time favorite former Indians players. Dad went over and shook his hand, and told him his daughter grew up watching him in Cleveland. At which point Thome glanced over at me, and I smiled like a complete buffoon and gave a crazy little wave. I couldn’t possibly help it…it was JIM THOME. The THOMINATOR himself. The player who wore his socks pulled up high and always pointed his bat at right field like “The Natural.” Jim (we’re tight enough now that I can call him that) was very nice. He chatted for a  few minutes, even signed the back of Ellie’s menu for me. And then he totally made our night by stopping by on his way out later to say “thanks, and have a nice night.” The Cubs v. Sox game was on (Thome also played as a White Sox), and so he got quite a few excited high-fives on his way out the door.

How. Cool. Was. THAT?! It’s nearly a week later, and I’m still geeking out.

*Yep. I’m totally going to quote Field of Dreams. “Ray, people will come Ray…They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh… people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.”

*Union Pier, Michigan. One of my favorite families has a charming part-time “cottage” in Union Pier, Michigan, and asked if we would be interested in doing a shoot there. In the spirit of all the traveling we have been indulging in this year, I, of course, said yes! So last Sunday, Mike, Eloise, and I made the short drive up there. After enjoying a fantastic morning with my clients (stay tuned for their sneak peek next week!), we stayed overnight at a sweet B&B and enjoyed the area for another day. We spent most of our time on a beautiful beach with soft sand, cool rocks, and crystal clear water, but also enjoyed eating at some very tasty restaurants. We didn’t even have time to explore the nature preserve or pick blueberries at one of the fruit orchards. It was a blast. What a neat place!